The present invention is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/619,665, filed Nov. 28, 1990, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Selecting Button Functions and Retaining Selected Options on a Display", and hereby refers to, and incorporates by reference the contents of the above-referenced application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for displaying and manipulating graphic information, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer controlled display system for displaying help information based on the positioning of an on-screen cursor over a displayed image.
2. Art Background
It is common for current generation computer display systems to utilize multiple "windows" displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT) display in which combinations of text and graphics are disposed to convey information to a user. The windows may take the form of a variety of objects such as a file folder, loose-leaf binder, or simple rectangle, and the windows may overlap one another with the "top" window fully visible constituting the current work file. These so-called "object oriented" display systems utilize various icons which symbolically indicate the type of operation the computer system will execute if the icon function is chosen. Frequently, these icons are disposed within a window on the display. The user may delete information from the window, move data from one window to another, and generally operate on the window as if an actual file in an office is being manipulated. Numerous object oriented systems exist today and are displayed on computers manufactured by the assignee, Sun Microsystems, Inc., as well as other manufacturers.
In the event a user requires help in determining what command is appropriate to achieve the desired computer function, or what a particular icon or "desktop" function represents, many systems refer the user to printed manuals for reference. Another attempt to assist the user in an object oriented computer system is the use of a "Help" command or key. Upon encountering difficulty, the user in such systems may press a predefined key to access a help function. The help function simply displays one or more screens of various commonly used commands, or describes the various functions available, in the computer display system. Generally, a help screen in prior art systems is simply a synopsis of the description of the command normally found in a written manual accompanying the computer system. The help display is typically stored on disk or in the memory of the computer system.
Another effort to make computer display systems more personal and self contained is found in the "Star User Interface: An Overview", Smith, et al., National Computer Conference, 1982. The Xerox 8010 Star information system introduced in April of 1981 incorporated a Help key on the computer keyboard. A user depressing the Help button on the Star system was shown a screen displaying the Help table of contents. The Star further included a context dependent invocation of the help function in which the command menu in every window contained a "?" command. By invoking the "?" command, the Star system displayed that part of the help documentation describing the window, its commands and its functions. Other "?" commands appeared in various message areas of the screen; such that invoking these "?" help commands resulted in the display of a description of the method which was related to the particular help command chosen. For example, a help command disposed adjacent to a window would result in a help message describing what a window comprised in the Star system. In other words, selecting a "?" on the display resulted in the display of the associated help documentation relating to the particular help icon "?" chosen.
As will be described, the present invention provides apparatus and methods to permit a user to invoke a help function on a computer display system. The help message displayed by the present invention is context sensitive based on the position of the cursor on the screen. The cursor, in turn, is controlled through the use of a cursor control device operated by a user. Accordingly, by simply placing or pointing the cursor at a particular object or area on the screen and depressing a help key, a help window is displayed which describes the particular object or area which the cursor has been placed over.